Better
by Water Fairy a.k.a. Mizu
Summary: She should have realized that sooner or later they'd get on the subject of who was the better kisser. Reds Oneshot.


**Better**

By Water Fairy a.k.a. Mizu

Disclaimer: I do not own Powerpuff Girls.

Summary: She should have realized that sooner or later they'd get on the subject of who was the better kisser.

X-X-X

"_I'm better than you!" he shouted, his crimson eyes narrowed into malicious slits. He threw a punch at her and she barely managed to dodge. _

"_No you're not!" she shrieked, wincing at the pain now radiating from her cheek. Her rose eyes glowed and a beam of pink energy just nicked him. Scowling, she flew at him, attempting to punch his stomach. _

"_Am too!" He attacked her viciously, his fingerless hands glowing with red energy. She blocked his empowered attacks and countered with her own. _

"_Are not!" _

"_Am too!"_

"_ARE NOT!"_

Blossom groaned into her pillow as she woke up from yet another dream of the past. Of all the stupid things to dream about, why did she have to dream about that? Then she remembered that she and he had, yet again, gotten into another bout of verbal sparring the day before about who was the better mathematician. It was safe to say their AP Calculus class had been cowering in the back of the room as they battled over who could finish the formula faster.

Groaning again, the redhead looked at her clock, wincing at the numbers glowing back at her. It was Saturday and she was awake three hours earlier than her usual wakeup hour. She rolled onto her back and looked at the pale lilac ceiling, before sighing and sitting up. There was no way she was getting back to sleep. The dream had only riled her up and Blossom found herself scowling down at her pink and white quilt. He always had that affect on her. She ran her fingers through her hair in irritation. Her day was not starting out well.

Throwing the covers off her, Blossom looked at the two other beds in the room, confirming that neither Bubbles nor Buttercup were not awake. Of course, on Saturdays Bubbles didn't get up until twelve and Buttercup was up at nine-thirty or ten, so Blossom really didn't think that either would be up at six in the morning. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and stood, stretching. Maybe she'd go for a morning patrol. Hopefully that would clear her mind. Minutes later, she was creeping out of the house, a note left not only on her bed, but also on the kitchen table. Hopefully her family wouldn't freak out too much.

Stretching her arms out before her, Blossom looked blankly at her fingers before letting her arms fall to her sides. When they had hit puberty, their bodies had finally started looking like normal humans. Even their eyes had reduced in size, though they were still slightly larger than normal. The same thing had happened with the Rowdyruff Boys. And neither trio had enjoyed the process at all. (It had been excruciatingly painful, but Blossom tended not to dwell on the details too much.) Shaking her head to free herself of the memories, Blossom flew onward to the city, still frowning heavily. Her dream just wouldn't get out of her mind.

It had been nine years since that fight. Both had been seven and it had occurred on a day that the Girls had received an award for "Outstanding Service to the City". The ruffs, of course, decided to have a little "fun" messing up the whole ceremony out of boredom and, Blossom assumed from what Brick had yelled at her, jealousy. But Brick had always fought with her about stuff like that. Their favorite game to play against each other was Cat and Mouse. They wanted to see who was faster, who was stronger. Even Buttercup and Butch weren't that competitive and they were known to do the most random contests…which usually resulted in one or, more than likely, both beaten to a pulp.

Thinking about the memories were not improving Blossom's mood and because of thus, she almost missed the man trying to steal from the old woman down on the street. Snarling angrily, at both the man and her near miss, Blossom dove towards them, stopping mere feet above the struggling people.

"What do you think _you're_ doing?" she snapped causing the man to freeze. He looked up at her with wide eyes and his hands, clutched tightly around the large cream colored bag, started to tremble. "Yeah, yeah. It's _me_. Blossom. Of the Powerpuff Girls. Now hand over the bag, because I am _not_ in the mood."

However, the man, probably suffering from some mental illness that told him "Hey, you can out run her", bolted in the other direction. Letting out a frustrated shriek, Blossom followed after, the wind caused by her taking off nearly knocking over the old woman. She easily caught up to the man, but before she could grab him, she had to swerve upwards as the bright yellow of a sign nearly took her out. Hissing angrily, Blossom continued her pursuit, flying around the corner only to slam to a stop at the sight before her. It only appeared ten times worse because of the fact of who was in front of her.

Brick was floating six feet above the sidewalk, holding the thief by the front of his shirt. The ruff did not at all look happy; his eyes were literally glowing red in anger. Blossom suspected that the dark stain on his shirt was from the coffee cup discarded below the two males. She watched the scene before her, quickly thinking over her options.

"What are you doing?" she finally asked, floating towards them. "Put him down, Brick."

The Rowdyruff leader barely glanced at her and lifted the thief higher. "No, he owes me another coffee and I am sure as hell going to make sure he gets it for me," he snarled and Blossom vaguely wondered if she was this bad before she properly woke up in the morning.

"Fine, then give me the purse he has. He stole it from a woman a block back," she snapped, holding out her hand. The purse was promptly thrown into her face and Blossom felt her blood boil. She grabbed the purse, bringing her arm down slowly to her side. "You better bring him to the police station after he gets your coffee."

She turned away and began floating back the way she came. Brick's lips twitched imperceptibly and he glanced at her. "What? Can't do it yourself, Pinky?"

Blossom froze, turning around slowly. "I _can_, but _you_ happen to be holding onto him because of some _spilled coffee_. And I _really_ don't want to fight with you today," she hissed, fists clenching. "But, now, I'd like my crook back, please."

Now Brick was smirking and the thief didn't know what was scarier, the fuming girl floating by the corner or the look of dark amusement on his captor's face.

"You seem to be losing your touch, Pinky," Brick remarked, turning to her. "If _I'm_ better at capturing thieves than you are."

The annoyance that had been festering from the dream surged anew and Blossom felt her mouth form into an angry scowl. She did not want to deal with his arrogance today. She was not in the mood and she did not want the irritating memories of her dream cropping up again.

"I'm sorry…did you just imply that _you_, a former _criminal_, are a better crime fighter than _I_, a Powerpuff Girl, am?" she snapped, moving closer. "Because it sounded like you were implying that."

The smile was now decidedly sinister and the thief found himself cowering in Brick's grip as the superpowered teen turned to look at Blossom. The two looked at each other with matching calculating looks. Her grip on the purse tightened and Blossom felt a familiar thrill go through her. She was shocked to realize her body was instantly tensing for a good game of Cat and Mouse. And it was even more surprising to her that she was actually wishing for Brick to start the game. Closing her eyes, Blossom sighed before shaking her head. She really needed to get rid of this excess energy. She was becoming almost as bad as Buttercup! Hearing a squeak of fright from the thief, Blossom opened her eyes to see the thief dangling from a sign.

Brick, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found.

Immediately, Blossom went on alert, eyes snapping around the street. She warily looked around, slowing moving so that her back was to the side of the building to her right. A flash of red caught her attention and she was instantly in a battle stance. Only Brick wasn't attacking her; he was presenting two disoriented ski-mask wearing people to her.

"I think I am the better crime fighter, ex-con or not," Brick said, nonchalantly dropping the two criminals. The landed was a thud and Blossom suppressed a wince. Her punches were a lot harder than a six foot drop. A six foot drop shouldn't be too much to worry about.

The pink puff glared at her counterpart and quickly zipped away. She past the old woman and threw her purse at her. The woman shouted a thank you, which received a wave in return. Turning down a street, Blossom immediately spotted a man attempting to break into a car. She grabbed him as she flew past and shot down another street. Without stopping, she grabbed two men attempting to threaten a couple. She then returned to Brick, throwing down the three criminals next to the ski-mask duo. Blossom glared at him, daring him to do better. After all, they probably stopped all the crime that was going to happen today. Townsville's crime rates had dropped considerably since the Girls' creation.

"Instead of comparing who can catch the most, we should bring them to the police station," Blossom said before Brick could speed off again. She did not want to race around the city and leave the criminals unattended. Yes, she was including Brick in there. She floated down, picking up the thieves in the typical ball. "See you later," she said, grabbing the one hanging from the sign.

By the time she got to the police station, Blossom was more than annoyed. She knew he had followed her. It somewhat worried her that she could sense when he was near her. She dumped the thieves with more force than necessary in front of Officer Perez. The Spanish officer looked startled and decided against saying anything. The murderous look on Blossom's face even had him backing up slightly and weakly calling for some of the other officers to help with the criminals.

As the police appeared, a familiar gang of five was chucked down beside the thieves, looking particularly worse for wear. Blossom whipped around to see Brick dusting off his hands.

"They were attempting to mug a businessman over by Donut Thing," he explained, smirking already. "That makes eight."

Blossom had to stop herself from screaming. Instead, she seethed quietly, ignoring Snake's indignant, "Yousss isssssss a Rowdyruff! What the fuck, Brick!" (Brick just shrugged in response.)

This had to all be a bad dream. Blossom massaged her temples, eyes closed tightly. She was not competing against Brick _in crime fighting_. He was not _willingly_ competing against her _in crime fighting._ This just _had_ to be a bad dream. Opening her eyes, Blossom openly groaned when she saw not her lilac ceiling, but Brick floating there with his arms crossed. She was about to say something when the explosion caught her attention. Sparing her counterpart another glare, Blossom shot off towards it. The smoke was what she first saw, billowing from some snooty coffee shop. The second thing was what she heard: a deep indignant voice arguing with a somewhat deeper, more screechy voice. Blossom groaned aloud again before landing in front of the blown out window. She cleared her throat, but when the two males turned, she didn't allow Butch or Mojo a moment to talk.

She instead froze them.

Brick landed next to her and Blossom spoke up. "Mojo and your brother are eight in of themselves. So…eleven me, eight you."

She glanced at him sideways and was somewhat pleased to see an annoyed look on his face. But if that look was directed towards her or Butch, Blossom wasn't sure. Floating inside, Blossom grabbed the frozen duo and dragged them out, taking some of the floor tiles with her. She paused in front of Brick and said, "Do you want your brother to punish him or shall I take him to the prison?"

Brick's jaw tightened and he contemplated the frozen Butch. At long last, he answered, "Take him to prison. I'm afraid I'll beat him within an inch of his life if I take him."

Blossom chose not to respond to that, though she was mildly perturbed. She knew that Brick was rather harsh on his brothers when they got out of line, but it still frightened her a bit. Butch was like Buttercup. Both were wild and needed a lot of free room to run around. Of course, Butch didn't exactly have the control Buttercup had, but he had been very good. He only had a few minor slip-ups…if destroying three city blocks and nearly demolishing two buildings could be called a "minor" slip-up. Boomer was the well-behaved one. You didn't necessarily have to worry about him.

Before Blossom left, she asked one of the patrons that had taken refuge behind a car what had happened. The patron, a middle-aged woman of maybe forty or so, looked at the frozen ex-criminal and criminal mastermind with curiosity before answering.

"Well…the boy ordered and then Mojo just started ranting about how a…what was it? Mocha banana caramel latte with half-and-half and whipped cream is better than…uh…what was it? Erm…" The woman frowned, eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember what it was that Butch had ordered.

"Mocha cappuccino with chocolate syrup, caramel, whipped cream, cinnamon, and milk," Brick recited, looking surprised that he knew that. "My God. I forgot how much of a fucking coffee snob Butch was."

For some reason, Blossom found herself giggling as she asked the woman to continue. "So, Mojo begins ranting about it and then goes off topic when he realizes who the boy is." The woman paused, peering curiously at Butch, trying to place who he was. "And goes off topic about how he, the boy, never said he was back in town and all that and the boy replies angrily and then he blows up-he's one of the Rowdyruff Boys! The green one, right?" The woman's eyes widened and then she looked at Brick in surprise. "You're the red one!"

"Yeah, yeah," Brick said, rolling his eyes. "So _that's_ what happened? On second thought, give me Mojo. I'd like a talk with him."

Blossom felt the childish need to stick her tongue out at him and did so, receiving a disbelieving look from Brick. "You can visit them in prison."

"You're kidding," Brick said, still looking surprised. "Did you just stick your tongue out at me?"

Blossom blinked innocently. "No. Why would _I_, Blossom, the leader of the Powerpuff Girls, do such a childish thing?" She did it again, making Brick look even more surprised. "And being the better crime fighter, doing such childish things would be detrimental to my public image."

Brick narrowed his eyes at her, a smirk slipping onto his face, before his eyes widened. Blossom's followed after when she realized the exact same thing he did.

They were having a civilized conversation. _And enjoying it._

Clearing her throat loudly, Blossom ascended higher into the sky, feeling her cheeks redden. "A-Anyway, I'm better than you, so I'll be on my way."

Brick glared at her and was instantly by her side. "Really now? _I'm_ better than _you_." He smirked darkly as Blossom narrowed her eyes. "Shall we race to see who is faster? I'll even give you a head start since, y'know, you're weighed down."

Hissing angrily, Blossom was suddenly reminded why she hated the boy next to her so much. Without another word, she shot off, carefully maneuvering the streets with her ice block. From the corner of her eye, Blossom saw Brick easily keeping pace with her and that just made her angry. Of her team, she was the slowest. While still faster than the average fighter jet, Blossom was _just_ slower than Buttercup. Neither could keep pace with Bubbles though. The blonde was extremely fast. Blossom had a feeling that Brick was like her amongst his brothers and a small hope blossomed in her chest. Maybe she could out fly him. She quickly squashed this hope when he pulled a little in front of her. Scowling darkly, Blossom, with a burst of speed, pulled ahead, just barely.

They landed with an explosion of ice in front of the police station.

"I beat you!" she exclaimed, ignoring the shivering Mojo and Butch at her feet. Brick looked unimpressed.

"I'm sorry, princess, but _I_ beat _you_," he said, crossing his arms. Blossom glared at him, trying to remain calm. "Admit it. I'm faster than you are."

"_You are not,_" she hissed, fists glowing faintly. Brick merely smirked.

"I'm faster, stronger, _better_ than you are, Pinky," he said. "It's just a fact."

"Stronger, maybe. Faster, no. Better? Not even in your dreams," Blossom growled, completely oblivious to Mojo and Butch watching them as if they were watching a tennis match. "I'm smarter than you, more agile, more flexible."

Brick rolled his eyes. "Smarter? No. There's no way you are. Agile, maybe…flexible?" He contemplated it briefly before shrugging. "I'll give you flexible. But you aren't better than me."

"I'm better in English. I'm better in science. I'm better in math, Latin, and history. Therefore, I'm smarter than you," Blossom snapped. She felt her face reddening and she could see the amusement leaving Brick's face.

"I beat you on the last English test. I finished all my experiments before you," he growled, no longer amused. "I finish formulas faster, translate faster, and understand history better."

Blossom clenched and unclenched her fists, breathing heavily. She was trying to control her anger as she eyed the Rowdyruff Boy in front of her. He was so infuriating. Why couldn't he just concede to her being the better one? Right, his stupid male pride.

"History is _my_ subject. I understand it better," she said, not noticing her sisters and Boomer landing next to them. "I'm the better leader! My strategies always work."

Brick snorted, glaring down at her. "The better leader? Really? Excuse me as I laugh in disbelief. Your strategies aren't even used half the time! Mine on the other hand…"

They continued yelling at each other for a few moments and Boomer inched over to Butch, his eyes not leaving the two redheads. He had flown over to the station after receiving a text from Bubbles, who, in turn, had received a call from the police station concerning her sister and Brick. At first, Bubbles had panicked thinking that Blossom had done something and then she realized it was _Blossom_, not Buttercup. And if it included Brick, then an argument certainly must have started somehow.

"How long have they been at it?" Boomer asked Butch now as Buttercup yawned widely.

"Pfft. Before or after I was frozen?" the green ruff asked, snorting. "No idea."

It was at a shout of "Well, _I'm_ the better kisser" that all siblings found themselves gaping in shock at their "eldest" siblings.

Blossom wasn't sure if it was her or Brick who had grabbed the other first (she would later say it was Brick, while Brick would say it had been her), but the next moment they were kissing each other like no tomorrow. Her eyes were closed tightly and she felt herself melt unwillingly against Brick. She completely forgot why she had been arguing with him and who was better. All she knew was that his lips were soft and warm and that she really liked kissing him which _she should not like at all!_ She made a noise in the back of her throat when she felt his tongue against her lips, her eyes snapping open, but the next moment she felt her mouth opening and then, eyes fluttering shut, her mind promptly took a vacation while her body took over.

Neither was sure how long they kissed afterwards. It seemed forever and no time at all. Any vague thoughts the other had of who was better had left their minds. Everything outside of their little bubble might as well not be there; they didn't heed anything. Not even their siblings.

"Oh my God…is she…is she _tonguing_ him?" Buttercup all but shrieked, eyes nearly bulging. "Holy fucking shit. Blossom is fucking _tonguing_ BRICK!"

"Dude…I think my brain just shutdown," Butch responded, eyes wide. "Holy fuck. Holy. Fuck."

Boomer could only move his mouth up and down because Blossom and Brick were indeed using tongue now. Bubbles cocked her head, regarding them.

"I think they look cute," she said and that statement promptly broke the spell.

Blossom immediately pulled away from Brick, her eyes wide and her cheeks bright red. She covered her mouth with her hand, her other one still clutching his shirt. Brick was also looking at her in shock, his red eyes glued to her face. Blossom felt her breath quicken and she made a strangled noise. There was suddenly a flash of pink and Brick was thrown into a police cruiser. Blossom's pink streak could be seen dashing across the sky, her sisters giving Brick a wide-eyed look before following.

Later, back at the Utonium household, Blossom was sitting in the living room, a book lying in her lap. She was looking outside; watching as the sky slowly became overcast. There was a soft noise and she blinked blearily, turning to see Bubbles holding two mugs. Her blonde sister smiled and offered her the pink mug.

"Tea?" she said and Blossom nodded her thanks, taking it. As she sipped it slowly, eyes back on the window, Bubbles perched on the arm of the chair she was seated in. "So, Blossom…" Blossom stiffened. "Who is the better kisser?"

A grin formed on Blossom's face and she hid it with her mug. Buttercup looked up from her video game. Blossom sipped her tea, remembering the kiss that had _not been pleasant all_. How had they even gotten onto that subject? She couldn't remember now.

Meanwhile, in an apartment in the city, Boomer posed the same question to Brick.

The red ruff paused in his reading (read: daydreaming) as his mind also went back to the (_unpleasant_) kiss. Butch looked up from the fridge to see Brick's reaction. Brick huffed before smirking.

Both said, "I am."

X-X-X

Guh. This is my first one-shot and first Powerpuff fanfiction. And first Reds fic. Guh again. Hopefully they aren't too much out of character. ;n; The ending may see a little rushed, but I didn't want this getting too long (read: I had no idea how to finish it). I feel like I failed with their banter, though. :/


End file.
